U.S. Attorney and FBI file premeditated murder charges in Taos County stabbing

FBI News:

ALBUQUERQUE – A Penasco man has been charged by federal prosecutors with first-degree murder in connection with a fatal stabbing in Taos County in 2022. The case is being prosecuted as part of a Department of Justice Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative (MMIP).

Byron Sanchez, 47, an enrolled member of the Picuris Pueblo, appeared before a federal judge today and will remain in custody pending his trial, for which a date has not yet been set.

The indictment states that on or about December 25, 2022, Sanchez intentionally killed John Doe by stabbing him with a sharp object.

Sanchez will remain in custody pending a detention hearing and trial, which have not yet been scheduled.

If convicted, Sanchez faces a prison sentence of several years to life imprisonment for murder.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander MM Uballez and Raul Bujanda, special agent in charge of the FBI's Albuquerque field office.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Eliot Neal is prosecuting.

This case is being prosecuted under the Department of Justice's Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to assist in the prevention of and response to missing or murdered Indigenous persons through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, tribal, state, and local partners. The Department considers this work a priority for its law enforcement components. Under the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad range of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. This prosecution validates the Department's mission to relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of Indigenous victims and their families.

View indictment

An accusation is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.